Geologic Time

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Geologic Time
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• John Powell 1869 Geological Expedition
  through the Grand Canyon
• Coined the expression The Grand Canyon would
  be the
• Book of Revelation in the Bible of Geology.
• evidence of ancient Earth revealed in the rocks
• Like the pages of long, complicated history
  book
• Rocks record geological events.
• Some early chapters are missing.
• Some chapters are torn and tattered.

• Interpreting Earth history is a prime goal among
  scientists.
• Geologists seek clues from the rock record.
• The history of Earth needs a calendar.
• The Geologic Time Scale The Earths history
  book

Lets take a field trip and decipher Earth
history.
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The Grand Canyon The Earths History Book
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Lets take a field trip and decipher some Earth
history.
Which stratigraphic layer is oldest?
Formation Contacts
E
Formation (mappable units)
D
C
B
A
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Formations and Contacts
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Lets take a field trip and decipher some Earth
history.
Is the fault younger or older than the strata?
Fault (displacing strata)
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3
2
2
1
1
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Historical aspects about geology There are two
schools of thought on the geologic history and
processes that formed our earth.
Catastrophism vs. Uniformitarianism
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• Catastrophism (mid-1600s)
• powerful geologic events that shape the earth in
  a single incident
• Volcanic eruptions
• Earthquakes
• Massive floods
• Landsliding

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• Catastrophism (mid-1600s)
• published by Anglican Archbishop, James
• Ussher
• determined that earth was only a few
• thousand years old created in 4004 BC
• suggested that earth landscapes are
• fashioned by great catastrophes
• an attempt to fit the formation of earth
• features into a short amount of time
• (6000 years Biblical philosophy)

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• Uniformitarianism Birth of Modern Geology
• The present is the key to the past.

Uniformitarianism states Physical, chemical,
and biological laws that operate today have
also operated in the geologic past.

• Proposed by James Hutton late 1700s
• argued using the rock cycle concept
• argued using earth processes that can
• be observed
• What is required? TIME

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• The Uniformitarianism philosophy
• Do geologic processes act slowly or rapidly?
• How many catastrophic events take place/day?
• When was the last major volcanic eruption?
• When was the last major earthquake?
• How long does it take a river to carve a
  canyon?
• How fast are the continents moving?
• Do you consider yourself a catastrophist or a
  uniformitarianist?

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Taking Uniformitarianism literally Problem with
U Rates and intensities of geologic processes
change over time. Example 10,000 years ago,
large land masses were covered in
ice. Different type of geologic environment
than today Different intensity Different
rates of erosion Given the concept of
Uniformitarianism, would you consider the earth
to be very OLD or very YOUNG?
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13
I
my earth science class.
Discuss with a friend

• Describe the differences between
• catastrophism and uniformitarianism.
• 2. Provide at least 2 examples each of
• catastrophism and uniformitarianism.
• 3. Identify problems with both philosophies.

I will get an A on my exams and quizzes.
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Geologists use two types of dating methods to
interpret Earth history.

• Relative Dating Techniques
• Geologic events are arranged in
• chronological sequences using relative dating
• principles ----- which came first?
• No numerical values are applied.

• Absolute Dating Techniques
• Radioactive isotopes (unstable elements) decay
• into stable atoms ----- rate of decay is
  measureable
• with a numerical value
• An actual number (numerical age) can be
• applied.

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I
Geologic Dating.
4. Describe the difference between Relative
Dating techniques Absolute Dating
techniques 5. What is meant by John Powells
phrase The Grand Canyon is the Book of
Revelation ?
I will get an A on my exams and quizzes.
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Relative Dating - placing the geologic
occurrence in the
proper sequence

• Which came first and WHY?
• To construct a relative geologic time scale,
  rules were
• established (principles of relative dating).
• Nicholas Steno (1636-1686)
• Principle of Original Horizontality
• Law of Superposition
• Principle of Cross-Cutting Relations
• Principle of Inclusions

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Lets unravel some geologic history from
observations of various formations and their
contacts.
Nicholas Steno 1669 proposed the following
relative dating principles

• The Principle of Original Horizontality
• Sedimentary rock layers are deposited as
  horizontal strata.
• Any observed non-horizontal strata have been
  disturbed.

Sediment input
C
B
basin
A
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Original Horizontal Strata
Limestone (ls)
Shale (sh)
Sandstone (ss)
granitic rock
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The Principle of Superposition In any
undisturbed sequence of strata, the oldest
stratum is at the bottom of the sequence, and the
youngest stratum is on top.
Unit 1 oldest Unit 5 youngest
5
4
3
2
1
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Which strata is oldest?
youngest
5 4 3 2 1
5
4
oldest
3
2
1
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• The principle of Cross-Cutting Relationships
• Any geologic feature that cuts across another
  geologic feature is younger.

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Unit 1 oldest Unit 6 youngest
4
3
Which came first Unit 5 or Unit 6?
2
6
1
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Which is older, the fault or volcanic layer?
Which is younger, the dike or country rock?
fault
dike
Volcanic layer
country rock
Determine the relative age of the two dikes.
1
2
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• The Principle of Inclusions
• A piece of rock (clast) that has become
  included
• in another rock body is older than the rock
  body
• it has become part of why?

Rock body A
A
A
A
Older (Rock A was there first.)
Intrusion of pluton B
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Which granites are older and younger?
OLDER
YOUNGER
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Which rock body is older?
B
A
?
?
C
Can you identify the inclusions found in this
Sierra Nevada Mountain batholitic material?
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Original Horizontality
Youngest
Superposition
Oldest
Cross-Cutting Relationship
Principle of Inclusions
Which granite is older?
A
B
C
Asp Vn
Older
Younger
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I
this geology class.

• 6. Explain the concept of relative dating.
• 7. Draw a diagram, and explain each of the
• following dating principles
• Original Horizontality
• Superposition
• Cross-Cutting Relations
• Inclusion Principle

I will get an A on my exams and quizzes.
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Ok given the principles, what is wrong with
this stack of rock (strata)?
youngest
7
6
5
3
2
1
oldest
Missing time or does time really stop?
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• The principle of Unconformities
• rock surface that represents a period of erosion
  or non- deposition
• referred to as missing time
• three major types of unconformities
• disconformity
• angular unconformity
• non-conformity

disconformity unconformity in non-disturbed
sedimentary layers
angular unconformity uncon. lies between
angled
strata and overlying
horizontal strata
non-conformity sedimentary strata
overlies crystalline
rocks (ig and met)
Unconformity
Igneous or metamorphic rock
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Disconformity
Disconformity
Angular Unconformity
Angular Unconformity
Sedimentary rocks
Nonconformity
Xln rocks
Nonconformity
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Time
Formation of an angular unconformity
Deposition of layers (original horizontality)
Tectonic activity produces uplift of strata
causing tilted layering.
Active erosional processes shaping the
surface A period of erosion creating the
unconformity
Continued deposition burying the erosional
surface to create an angular unconformity
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Grand Canyon Stratigraphy Types of Unconformities
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I
this geology class.
8. Describe an unconformity and what what
it represents regarding geologic
history. 9. Diagram pictures that represent the
three types of unconformities
I will get an A on my exams and quizzes
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Fossils evidence of past life or time pieces,
the remains or traces of prehistoric
life Paleontology study of fossils

• How do we get a fossil? preservation of past
  life
• 2 conditions must exist for preservation
• rapid burial
• possession of hard parts

Prehistoric bug
Rapid burial of sediment covers the bug fossil
Bug dies
Bug soft parts are eaten or dissolved
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Fossils evidence of past life or time
pieces, the remains or traces of
prehistoric life

• Preservation of fossils
• Small percentage of fossils preserved
• throughout geologic time WHY?
• Most organisms composed of soft parts.
• Organisms with hard parts and within
• a sedimentary environment are favored.
• Very rare to see vast array of other life
• forms

How do fossils help scientists relatively date
layers of rock (strata)?
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William Smith Principle of Fossil Succession
Fossil organisms succeed one another in a
definite and determinable order, and
,therefore, any time period can be recognized by
its fossil content. Fossils are arranged
according to their age by using the law of
superposition.

• Fossil succession
• allows geologists to age date wide geographical
• areas
• documents the evolution of life
• Age of mammals
• Age of reptiles
• Age of fish

Youngest
Oldest
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How do fossils help date rocks?
1200 miles
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7
6
6
Disconformity
5
4
3
3
2
2
Which fossils are the youngest and oldest?
1
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I
this geology class.
10. Give 2 reasons why many organisms are
not fossilized. 11. Explain the law of fossil
succession and how this law allows dating of
strata. 12. How has fossil succession helped
geologists unravel earth history?
I will get an A on my exams and quizzes.
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OK We have relative dating and fossils How
do we get absolute ages on the rocks (numbers)?

• Radiometric dating applying a number
• radioactive atoms (isotopes) decay at a
• constant rate over time

• Review of the atom
• Atomic number
• Atomic mass
• Isotope

number of protons () charged
number of protons neutrons
unstable atoms with varying numbers of neutrons
(atomic masses) Unstable atoms will decay into
stable atoms by losing neutrons and protons at a
constant rate.
U238
Pb206
Decays
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Radio active decay U238 Pb206

• Isotopes decay at a fixed rate.
• Decay rate is measureable.
• Isotope decay is not influenced
• by weathering.
• One isotope will decay into
• another isotope.

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How does radiometric dating work, and where does
the age (number) come from?
Parent element the beginning element that
contains 100 of
radioactive particles
Daughter element the element that the parent
element decays
into (or turns into over time)
Half life the time required for ½ of the parent
to decay into the daughter element
Parent Isotope Stable Daughter Product Currently Accepted Half-Life Values
Uranium-238 Lead-206 4.5 billion years
Uranium-235 Lead-207 704 million years
Thorium-232 Lead-208 14.0 billion years
Rubidium-87 Strontium-87 48.8 billion years
Potassium-40 Argon-40 1.25 billion years
Samarium-147 Neodymium-143 106 billion years
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U-235
Pb 207
1 half life 704 million years
U-3
Daughter element
1/2
1/2
1/2
704 m.y.
1.4 b.y.
2.1 b.y.
Parent element
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I
absolute dating.
13. Define the following absolute dating
terms parent/daughter elements,
half-life 14. Explain how the half-life is used
to calculate an absolute age.
I will get an A on my exams and quizzes.
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• What is the importance of radiometric dating?
• produced thousands of dates for earth
• events
• rocks have been dated at more than 3 b.y.
• granite in South Africa dated at 3.2 b.y.
• granite contains inclusions of quartzite
• quartzite inclusions must be older
• Acasta gneiss in Northern Canada 4.0 b.y.
• Earth believed to be 4.55 (4.6) b.y. old

• Radiometric dating
• vindicated the ideas of Hutton, Darwin, and
  others
• consistent with relative dating techniques
• allowed absolute dating on the Geologic Time
  Scale

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Lets make a Geologic Time Scale!
Relative dating Absolute dating

• The Geologic Time Scale
• It combines both relative and absolute dating.
• Created during the nineteenth century in Western
  Europe
• and Great Britain
• Sub-divides the 4.6 billion-year history of the
  earth
• Eons
• Eras
• Periods
• Epochs

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• Phanerozoic
• visible life
• fossil record becomes more
• detailed
• animals have hard shells
• and skeletons

Building the Geologic Time Scale

• Proterozoic
• Multi-celled, soft body
• organisms
• early life

Precambrian

• Archean
• Single-cell life developed
• most ancient rocks found
• preserved rocks at the base
• of the Archean

• Hadean
• represents the earths
• time of formation
• no rocks are represented
• hellish conditions

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• Cenozoic Era
• birds and mammals
• flourished
• appearance of man

• Mesozoic Era
• marks the rise in dinosaurs
• dominant vertebrates
• first flowering plants
• first shrew-like
• mammals

• Paleozoic Era
• known as ancient life
• life progressed from marine
• invertebrates to fish,
• amphibians, and reptiles

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• Periods based on
• fossil types
• massive extinctions
• geographical locations
• characteristics of strata

• Cretaceous, Jurassic, Triassic
• age of reptiles
• dinosaurs dominant
• massive dinosaur extinction
• at 65 m.y. Cretaceous
• Jurassic Park

• Cambrian period
• animals with hard shells
• diversification of life
• the Cambrian explosion

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• Epochs
• not defined by extinction
• events, but of fossils
• still living
• plants and animals found
• in the Pliocene epoch
• have living species today
• Eocene-few species
• surviving today
• Holocene
• humans time

Age of Reptiles
Amphibians
Age of fish
Invertebrates
How accurate is the Geologic Time Scale?
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I
the Geologic Time Scale.
15. You should be able to draw the Geologic
Time Scale and label it with the
following Eons, Eras, Periods, and Cenozoic/
Tertiary epochs. 16. List major
characteristics of each period. 17. How
did the strength of both absolute and
relative dating techniques contribute to the
development of the Geologic Time Scale?
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The Geologic Time Scale How much of Earth
history is represented?
Geologic Time Scale
Cenozoic, Mesozoic, Paleozoic Eras
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Precambrian Eon
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• Difficulties in Dating the Geologic Time Scale
• Not all rocks can be dated radiometrically.
• all minerals must contain 100 parent atoms.
• Sedimentary rocks can only rarely be dated.
• some parent atoms come from pre-existing rocks
• that have been weathered and transported.
• sedimentary rocks are dated in proximity of
• igneous bodies.
• Metamorphic rocks are challenging.
• some minerals do not necessarily represent the
• time when the rock was formed